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_ The
long expected contest between the prize-fighters Morrissey and Heenan,
for the American championship, was had on the Canada shores of Lake
Erie, about 80 miles from Buffalo, last Wednesday afternoon, and
resulted, after a sharp and bloody battle, in favor of the former. To
commence at the beginning, it is proper to know that there is a belt,
with a certain traditionary memory, marking the champion of the
American ring. This belt Tom Hyer won of somebody, and then Morrissey
challenged it of him. Tom Hyer, however, declared he had retired from
the field, and the miraculous belly band was handed to somebody else,
who, being challenged by Morrissey, resigned in favor of Yankee
Sullivan, and the two accordingly met, in 1852, at Boston Corner, then
a part of Massachusetts but now ceded to New York. Morrissey won, and
Sullivan was for a month lionized in Pittsfield, on a judicial "parole
of honor," terminating with a most gentlemanly and courteous admonition
from Judge Bishop and a fine of $100 or so. Since that time Morrissey
has held undisputed sway among the "fancy;" but last spring, John
Heenan, otherwise the "Benicia Boy," a smart and athletic Trojan youth,
conceived the idea that he was an equal match for the celebrated
shoulder hitter, and to accomplish his design he gave up his place in
the New York custom house, challenged Morrissey for the belt, and went
into notorious retirement to prepare for the encounter.
_ The
combatants and their friends, a crowd of about two thousand sporting
men assembled from all quarters of the American continent, went out
from Buffalo by steamboats, at half past 10 o'clock Tuesday evening and
landed, Wednesday morning, at Long Point, Canada, the place which
Morrissey, having the "toss," had selected. The ring was pitched at 11
a.m. Heenan entered it at precisely nineteen and a half minutes past 1
p.m., and Morrissey came in two minutes and a half later. Two hours
were consumed in wrangling for a referee, and parties did not come to
scratch until 3.36. They shook hands cordially before commencing.
Morrissey looked more muscular than in any of his previous fights, and
indeed, as the result showed, he had improved greatly in his style
since his battle with Yankee Sullivan. Heenan's form was "beautiful,"
but his condition did not appear up to the mark, his skin being very
sallow. At the scratch both men put themselves in fine positions, and
after sparring for a moment they got to work.
_ Heenan's
commencement was strong and masterly, and at the start it looked as if
Morrissey would be beaten. In the first round Heenan drew the first
blood from his antagonist, and was loudly cheered. The first round
lasted six minutes, and was terrific from beginning to end, being one
of the severest ever fought in this country. Heenan kept the lead until
the close of the fourth round, when it became evident that he had been
fighting too fast, and was showing conclusive signs of weakness. Both
men were now covered with blood which was flowing from several wounds
on each of their faces. When Heenan appeared the 5th time, he looked
very fatigued, although Morrissey's face showed the greatest
punishment. Morrissey hit him a heavy blow on the forehead which turned
him half way round, and then countered him terrifically on the nose,
drawing the "claret" in great quantities. Heenan fought wildly, but
Morrissey finished the round by a clean knock down, and $100 to 20 was
now offered on Morrissey without takers. From this time to the close
Heenan's strength kept failing, while Morrissey, maddened by his own
dreadful wounds, seemed to be getting stronger. By the 8th round
Heenan's blows seemed to have lost their force, and he had little
effect on Morrissey's adamantine head. The round closed with Heenan
falling from exhaustion. The game was by this time considered "up" for
Heenan and in the 11th and closing round he came up staggering and
looked pitiful, his pluck being entirely out of him from Morrissey's
severe hitting in the latter part of the fight. He was hardly able to
stand, and when Morrissey went up to him his guard went down, and
Morrissey hit him a very severe blow on the jugular, which knocked him
out of time, and he fell on his face, Morrissey stepped away from him.
Morrissey, at the end, jumped over the ropes and walked to the house,
while Heenan did nor recover his consciousness for half an hour after
the fight was over.
_ This
account of the battle is evidently from a Morrissey partizan. Another
and certainly more satisfactory version, has it that the combatants
literally "clawed each other up," and that Morrissey, though victor,
cam out but little better than his vanquished opponent. This reporter
states that in the 11th round, Morrissey, being very weak, was carried
to the scratch, while Heenan went up alone. The blows given and
returned were perfectly terrific, and at last Heenan fell fainting. His
seconds being unable to restore him to consciousness in the half minute
allowed between the rounds, Morrissey was carried up for the 12th time,
and meeting no opponent was declared the victor. Both Morrissey and
Heenan were shockingly mangled and bruised, and each were carried away
on beds.
_ And
thus ended the fight for the honor of the American championship. It was
short, quick, and a bloody battle, lasting only twenty-one minutes.
Sporting men say the records of the ring do not contain a more
desperate and sanguinary fight than this, and we hope they never will.
Morrissey says this is his last fight. There was intense excitement in
all the leading cities of the country, Wednesday night, to learn the
news, which, provokingly enough, did not come along until near daylight
Thursday morning. A large amount of money changed hands as the result
of betting on the result. A notorious grog-shop in Springfield was open
all night to get the first news. The proprietor and his friends had
heavy bets in favor of Morrissey. Two sporting men of this neighborhood
put up $500 apiece on the fight.
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